不成

bùchéng

verb/particle HSK 6 #15,483

Meanings

1 won't do; unable to succeed
2 (rhetorical) could it be that...? / or what?

Characters

to become; to succeed; to be OK

Cannot become/succeed — won't do, or used as a rhetorical question tag.

Examples

这样做不成吗？

Zhèyàng zuò bùchéng ma?

Won't this approach work?

你还想让我帮你不成？

Nǐ hái xiǎng ràngwǒ bāng nǐ bùchéng?

You're not expecting me to help you, are you?

连这点小事都做不成。

Lián zhè diǎn xiǎoshì dōu zuò bùchéng.

Can't even manage such a small thing.

难道他还想赖账不成？

Nándào tā hái xiǎng làizhàng bùchéng?

Could it be he's trying to welch on the debt?

Tips

grammar

不成 at the end of a sentence is a rhetorical question tag, similar to English 'or what?' / 'you think?' It expresses disbelief or mild challenge. Pattern: statement + 不成？

usage

As a complement, 做不成 = unable to accomplish, 办不成 = unable to handle. As a sentence-final particle, it adds a challenging or incredulous tone.

Stroke Order

不 bù

成 chéng